The improvement is meant for U1.
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Am sorry then what is really this new firmware about for the Lumin T2
Inprovements maybe ore bugfixes
They share the same firmware and are updated together.
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I decided to try going straight into my Parasound JC5 from my T2 via XLR⌠And I think I will be keeping it in this set up going forward. Iâm a less is more audio guy and I think it sounds absolutely fantastic. âŚyes I know, I know, not a detailed descriptionâŚsorry, in my opinion it rocks.
I just ordered the remote so hopefully I donât have to wait too long
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Lumin Firmware 15 added analog output balance control to our models with ESS DAC chips (X1 P1 T2 S1). To the best of my knowledge, we are the first manufacturer that makes of use Leedh Processing Volume to provide balance control.
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Practically speaking, Peter, what would one do with this functionality?
I second that questionâŚ
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A friend of mine offers this possibility: Hardly any amp or preamp have balance controls, so unless youâre sitting exactly equidistant from both speakers, then one speaker will always sound louder than the other. By bringing a balance control into Leedh theyâre adding a feature into the streaming platform that is missing from oneâs amp or preamp.
It is similar to what the balance control in a traditional preamp does. Now that many users have Lumin directly connected to a power amp without another preamp, the need for balance control is increased.
A few users have asked for this feature since many years ago. I believe one possible scenario is difficult rooms in which it is very difficult to place the speakers in a way that keeps the voice centered. Sitting at an equidistant distance from both speakers, I believe, is a necessary but not sufficient condition to get proper centering.
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This is one of the most in-depth comparison of ESS DAC chip volume against Lumin enhanced implementation of Leedh Processing Volume to analog output.
In The Absolute Sound issue 330 (Sept 2022) review of Lumin P1:
It is easy to turn Leedh on and off in the app to compare it to a conventional digital-domain volume control, as well as to no volume control. When the volume is set at â100â or the output level is set to âfixed,â both Leedh and the conventional volume controls are bypassed.
When I applied 30dB of attenuation with the conventional volume control, an entire level of low-level detail was shaved off. There was simply less musical information there, from quiet sounds at the back of the mix to the inner detail of instrumental timbre. Percussion instruments sounded like nothing more than transient clicks, the mechanism by which the sound was created was lost. On Norah Jonesâ debut album, her voice was harder and a bit coarse with the conventional volume control, and was overlaid with a roughness and stridency, particularly on louder passage in the higher end of her register. When I switched to the same amount of attenuation with Leedh, the sound became more liquid and refined overall, with the low-level detail restored. The bite on the leading edge of the guitar was gone, replaced by a more natural rendering of the instrumentâs attacks and dynamics. With Leedh, Jonesâ voice became more immediate and palpable, with a human quality missing from the mechanical rendering I heard with conventional digital-domain attenuation. Finally, unlike the conventional volume control that flattened the soundstage and reduced the sense of air, Leedh maintained the presentationâs three-dimensionality and bloom.
I then compared 30dB of Leedh attenuation with no attenuation by making up the volume difference with the CH Precision L10 preamplifier. To my surprise, I heard no degradation with Leedh; the two presentations sounded identical (the L10 was in the signal path for both presentations). It was clearly obvious that this amount of attenuation in a conventional digital volume control was a non-starter sonically, and that Leedh is sonically âlossless,â as the company claims. This is, to say the least, a significant achievement.
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For me the discovery of the balance control in the Lumin app was a complete surprise. Where it works for me is that in some recordings I often experience a perceived bias to the L or R in positioning of the centre sound stage which I find quite uncomfortable to listen to for any length of time. Having the balance option in the Lumin app makes adjusting the centre stage so easy and convenient. And Iâd also suggest the implementation is more subtle and effective than a hardware balance control. So for me itâs a real bonus and Iâm very happy Lumin have included it in the app.
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TASâs Harley was seriously impressed with more than Leedh Processing; he found excellent Luminâs implementation of the ESS9028 DAC, the fiber-optic connection and, perhaps surprisingly for some, the SQ of the Lumin app vs. Roon. Well done, Lumin!
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